Reading
StrategiesIn
addition to our CRITICAL THINKING FOCUS this year,we will be learning five main strategies in
"READING" that good readers use when they read.Students will be encouraged to apply their
knowledge of these strategies across the curriculum. We
will focus on Making Connections , Visualising,
Questioning and Inferring and TransformingGood
readers make connections when they read. They notice when the text
reminds them of something in their own life (Text to Self), when the book
reminds them of another book they've read (Text to Text), and when it reminds them
of something that has happened in the world around them (Text to World). As
often as possible, I will model how a good reader thinks when he or she is
reading, and will havestudents practice
making connections to grade level material as a group.

Here is some more information about the Reading Power program by
Adrienne Gear, that many teachers in SD 23 are now using.Reading
is composed of a two-pronged attack1. Decoding,
phonemic awareness, spelling, vocabulary, fluency (Generally
taught in early primary grades)2. Thinking,
comprehension, construct meaning, metacognition. (Taught
throughout K-7) Three
Stages of Teaching Reading1. Pre-Reading
Strategies – To help students focus on the text prior to
reading:i. Sort and Predictii. Picture Walkiii. K-W-Liv.
Webv. Building
from Cluesvi.
Anticipation Guidevii.
Introducing Vocabulary2. During
Reading Strategies– To teach students how to think
while they are reading.i.
READING POWER (See below for more
info on Reading Power)3. Post-Reading
Strategies– To enhance students’ reading
and help them respond to the text in a meaningful way.i. Venn
Diagramii. Thinking
Bubblesiii. Response
Journalsiv. Story
Mappingv. Clustering
from Textvi. Letter
to the Author or Charactervii. Problem
Solvingviii. Beginning-Middle-Endix. K-W-LGood
readers are metacognitive. That means they have an
awareness, or an understanding, that their brain needs to be doing specific
things while they’re reading to help them understand the text better.The
5 powers taught in the “Reading Power” program are, in fact, reading strategiesWhat
is Reading PowerWe
have two voices – a speaking voice and a thinking voice. The thinking
voice, that voice in your head, is what good readers pay attention to
when they are reading to help them make better sense of the text.

Good
readers are metacognitive. That means they have an
awareness, or an understanding, that their brain needs to be doing specific
things while they’re reading to help them understand the test better.Good
readers know that reading is not just being able to say the
words on the page. Reading is being able to say the words and also think
about what those words mean to them.Good
readers know that in order to be successful readers, they
need to be thinking about the story while they are reading.

The
5 reading powers addressed in the Reading Power program are1.
ConnectingWhen
readers learn to connect when reading:- the
story reminds them of something they have experienced.- their
minds become flooded with memories.- they
are making sense of the text in terms of events and people in their own lives.- they
can make connections to pictures, plot, characters, and feelings from the
story.- they
are most likely reading books about real-life situations, such as family,
friendship, school, siblings, pets, vacations,
etc.2.
QuestioningWhen
readers learn to question while reading:- they
are learning the power of asking as well as answering questions.- they
are encouraged to be curious readers- they
learn that asking questions can lead them to a greater understanding of the
text.- they
learn the difference between quick questions and deep-thinking questions.- they
learn that not all questions have answers, and often these unanswered questions
will help to get at the heart
of the story better than those that can be answered.- they
practice what their Power-full brains are already capable of doing – asking
questions3.
VisualizingWhen
readers learn to visualize while reading:- they
are using the words they hear or read in a text to create visual images or
“movies in the mind”- they
can turn on their brains just as they would turn on their TV’s, to enjoy the
many images they can create.- they
are training their brains for when they begin to read books that don’t include
pictures with the text.- they
are encouraged to activate their memories when they read.- they
combine their own background knowledge with the words of the author to create
mental images that enhance
understanding of the text and bring reading to life.- they
are able to activate all of their senses to create mental images.- it
is most likely to happen when reading books about places, weather, or seasons
that are filled with rich, descriptive,
and vivid language4.
InferringWhen
readers learn to infer while reading:- they
learn to look for clues in text, in pictures, and in their own knowledge that
will help them to make sense of the
text.- they
are encouraged to become good “book detectives.”- they
learn that some authors write very little text but leave clues for the reader
to discover and interpret.- they
understand that the expression “less is more” means that fewer words on the
page means more thinking for the
reader.- they
learn to fill in, in their heads, what’s not written on the page.- they
are more likely to say, “Oh, I get it now!” while they read, than “Huh? I
don’t get it.”

5.
TransformingWhen
readers learn to be transformed by what they read:- they
understand that books have the ability to change the way we think about
ourselves and our world.- they
can be touched some way by the words on the page, the thoughts in their heads,
and the feelings in their hearts.- they
are introduced to books that deal with thought-provoking issues: war,
conservation, homelessness, social responsibility,
the integrity of the human spirit, poverty, the rights of children.- they
learn to look beyond the pages of the text towards the implications and effects
the book may have on their own
lives.- they
are challenged by change.- they
understand that transformation takes place over time, and that reading a
particular book plants seeds that may
one day make a difference to the way they live or view the world.- they
know that a story has the power to change them, because their brains have the
power to store away facts, stories,
questions, and feelings that will shape their lives.- they
learn to look for the things in a book that matter most to them.- they
ask themselves, “What difference has this book made to me?” or “ Has anything
in me changed because of this
book?”- they
are learning that being able to identify what matters to them is the beginning
of being shaped by the world around
them.ThankYou to Adrienne Gear, author of "Reading
Power" (a Vancouver Teacher and Reading Consultant)